First photo of Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson together
The first known photo showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Mandelson together has been revealed.
The photo, which shows three men wearing bathrobes and sitting together around a table drinking from mugs printed with the US flag, is understood to have been taken on Martha’s Vineyard, as first reported by ITV News.
This information was extracted from a tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files. The photo was reportedly taken between 1999 and 2000, but an exact time or date was not specified.
The photo is thought to have been taken before Epstein was jailed in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Both Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Mandelson have recently come under serious scrutiny for their links to the pedophile financier. In February, the former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations against him that he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as UK trade envoy.
Days later, Lord Mandelson was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he shared confidential government information with the disgraced financier during his time as business secretary.
Emails from 2009 appear to show Lord Mandelson relaying Gordon Brown’s adviser’s assessment of potential policy measures, including an “asset sales plan”.
It was also revealed that he discussed a tax on bankers’ bonuses and approved an imminent bailout of the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
Both men have been released pending further investigation and strongly deny all allegations.
Sir Keir Starmer also came under pressure to explain his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador despite warnings about his ties to Epstein. Lord Mandelson was impeached last year over his links to Epstein and later resigned from the House of Lords.
On Monday, the UK government released the first set of documents about Lord Mandelson’s appointment, after MPs raised questions about how their peers were vetted.
The dossier shows that the prime minister was given warnings about the “reputation risk” posed by Lord Mandelson’s appointment, but chose to ignore them.
A section of the due diligence report, titled “Association with Jeffrey Epstein”, read in the document: “Following Epstein’s first conviction for procuring an underage girl in 2008, their relationship continued after the end of the Labor government, starting from 2009 to 2011 when Lord Mandelson was business secretary.”
“Mandelson reportedly stayed at Epstein’s home in June 2009 while he was in jail.”
Sir Keir insisted Lord Mandelson “lied repeatedly” to him about his ties to Epstein.
Other images emerging from the Epstein files show Mr Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a woman on the floor.
The former prince was stripped of his titles and evicted from his home at the Royal Lodge last year after emails were released as part of dossiers showing he had been in contact with Epstein for longer than he had previously admitted.
This news was followed by the posthumous publication of a memoir by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The memoir detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, in which she said she acted as if she believed “it was her birthright to have sex with me.” Mr Mountbatten-Windsor vehemently denies all the allegations.
This is a story of breaking. More to follow…
